Introduction

At present, the Rosary Oratory, in Saint Peter square, is the seat of the 24-pieced Spano Art Gallery, that is the paintings collected by the scholar, after his countless visits to the churches and monasteries all over Sardinia, as well as the ones he bought or was given by his times’ reliable people, which he gave to Saint Peter Church in 1873:

Raccomando al sindaco pro tempore di conservare i quadri che io regalai nel 1875 al Municipio. Ma più raccomando che vigili perché il parroco di Ploaghe curi e tenga tutti puliti i quadri che io regalai alla Parrocchia fin dal 1873 e che trovansi appesi nella navata della chiesa e dentro la sacrestia. Nel caso contrario, se ne impossessi il Municipio, li venda e tutto quello che ricaverà si impieghi in opere pubbliche[1].

(this document is inside the Town Council 1875 Deliberations Registry, kept in the Town Historical Archive, and matchers with what Giovanni Spano said in his will, given to notary Sebastiano Casti from Cagliari). The paintings the scholar left as inheritance to Saint Peter parish have to be seen as a part of his will to protect and take care of the artistic property of Sardinia, which he loved very much.

In this partial display, since most of the paintings are kept in the Rector’s house (the whole collection is formed by 60 works), there are the most famous pictures:

·        the Holy Family, by Ozieri Master, coming from Saint Peter church in Ploaghe;

·        the paintings coming from Spano Donation (St. Domenico, dated 1340-1350, attributed to an unknown painter; the Madonna with her Child and Saints from XV century, attributed to a Toscan painter; Saint Francis Stigmata from XVI century, attributed to Pietro Cavaro; the Madonna with her Child from XVI century, attributed to Paul Coecke, and given to Spano by Cibrario; the Worshipping Magi from XVI century, attributed to a Greek-cultured painter; the Saint Gerolamo and Domenico and The Trinity, both attributed to Francesco Pinna; Saint Domenico from XVIII century, achieved by archbishop Marongio; Portrait of a Gentleman, from XIX century, attributed to an unknown painter; The coronation of Virgin Mary, from XVIII century, attributed to Giacomo Altomonte);

·        the paintings which formed the original part of Ploaghe Art Gallery, bought in Cagliari in 1784 by Rector Demurtas to expose them in the hall of Rector’s Palace (Saint Catherine of Alexandria, The Blessed Virgin, Saint Barbara and Saint Agnes, attributed to Master of Capitolo);

·        Christ at the Column, Ecce homo, The Assumption of Blessed Virgin and Saint Girolamo, attributed to unknown authors);

·        and the paintings whose origin is uncertain (Saint Sebastian cured by Angels, XVII century, attributed to an unknown painter; Saint Bernard from Offida, XIX century, attributed to an unknown painter; the Madonna of Mercy from XVII century, attributed to Baccio Gorini; and Portrait of Giovanni Spano, XIX century, attributed to Emilio Scherer).

Italiano

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